HOW IS DOOH TRANSFORMING THE OMNICHANNEL RETAIL EXPERIENCE

The retail journey isn’t broken. It’s just fragmented—by design.

Consumers don’t move neatly from awareness to purchase anymore. Instead, they detour through algorithms, stumble across brands in real life, research on lunch breaks, and complete transactions while waiting in line for coffee. And in this scenario, brands are not just fighting for their attention, but they are stitching together coherence.

Well, that’s exactly where digital out of home (DOOH) enter the play. It does not interrupt. Instead, it integrates. DOOH meets consumers mid moment—in motion, in context—and guides them back into the brand’s ecosystem. In other terms, it can be explained as a dynamic creative that’s measurable, retargetable, and fully synced with digital strategy.

We all are aware of the fact that omnichannel thinking has gone mainstream. But even in this case, digital outdoor advertising is treated as an edge case. However, it is becoming extremely crucial for retail brands seeking fluid, multi touchpoint engagement that actually drives behaviour as it grounds digital strategy in real world relevance.

This insight unpacks how DOOH is reshaping omnichannel execution—not as a standalone tactic, but as a connective layer between presence and performance.

Omnichannel is the New Normal—But Execution Still Lags

Omnichannel retailing is no longer aspirational—it’s operational.

According to a 2024 study by Harvard Business Review, it was found that 73% of consumers use multiple channels in their purchase process. The study also unpacked that brands with strong omnichannel engagement retain 89% of their customers, whereas brands with limited cross channel integration are able to retain only 33%.

As screens become smarter, more connected, and responsive to contextual signals like location, weather, and audience demographics, digital OOH tactics, over here, present a unique opportunity to seamlessly integrate these channels.

DOOH: Where Physical Presence Meets Data Driven Flexibility

Traditional billboard advertising has been one of the most commonly used ATL marketing activities and always had reach. But the ability to respond in real time, display personalised content that is based on context, and integrate directly with the broader marketing stack are just a few reasons that make DOOH stand out. For example:

• Dynamic content can be adapted on different bases, including time of day, foot traffic, or inventory levels.
• Geofencing and mobile retargeting allow retailers to send follow up messaging on digital channels after exposure.
• QR codes, app triggers, and NFC interactions enable instant consumer actions, from digital coupons to mobile checkout.

These capabilities allow Digital out of home advertising to become not just a branding tool, but a functional part of the funnel—serving real performance objectives.

Well, this is why various retail giants like Decathlon and Edeka have started opting for DOOH.

Decathlon, a French sporting goods retailer, used DOOH to integrate real time stock updates into local outdoor campaigns. The brand connected its Spain store inventory system to digital screens in order to present interested customers with not just products, but also which is the nearest location where they are available. The brand displayed a QR code that directly led customers to their regional product page for click and collect ordering. This DOOH campaign resulted in a measurable and significant uptick in mobile engagement and in store visits.

Likewise, Edeka, a regional German grocery chain, launched a campaign that aligned DOOH content with weather based triggers. On rainy evenings, nearby commuters would see hot soup recipes. On the other hand, BBQ promotions lit up the screens on sunny days. Consumers could scan a QR code to generate a grocery list or order items via an app. The campaign not only increased app downloads during its run but also helped move temperature sensitive stock more efficiently, further establishing a real example of how DOOH supports both marketing and operations.

Measuring What Matters: DOOH Attribution in a Connected World

The long standing criticism of out of home media has always been attribution. “Did that billboard actually do anything?” is a fair question—but now the one that’s quickly being answered, all thanks to advances in mobile data and programmatic technologies.

Mobile Location Data and Behaviour Mapping

Today, platforms like Adsquare and Foursquare enable anonymised location tracking that maps DOOH exposure to downstream behaviour. If someone passes a digital screen and later enters the store or visits a brand’s website, that interaction is logged, aggregated, and measured, further providing direct insight into DOOH’s performance.

Retargeting Based on Physical Exposure

Geofencing lets brands create custom retargeting pools. A consumer who walks by a screen can later be served follow up ads across mobile, YouTube, or social media, reinforcing the message.

According to a study by Omnia Retail in 2024, the research highlighted that campaigns using DOOH retargeting see up to 3.2x higher ROAS (return on ad spend) compared to digital only efforts.

The example of Leroy Merlin, a home improvement retailer in France, fits perfectly over here. According to RTB House, the brand executed a full funnel omnichannel campaign that integrated DOOH, mobile retargeting, and dynamic inventory relevance. This campaign resulted in a 3 times increase in ROAS and a 9 times increase in conversion value for digital channel traffic, further demonstrating that integrating physical signals into digital retargeting significantly amplifies performance.

The Tech Stack Powering Seamless DOOH Experiences

For digital billboard advertising to work in sync with omnichannel goals, it needs to be supported by a connected tech infrastructure. The modern DOOH ecosystem includes:

• Programmatic DSPs (demand side platforms): For real time bidding and screen buying.
• DMPs and CDPs (customer data platforms): For smart audience segmentation and targeting.
• Computer Vision: To measure dwell time, engagement, and viewability.
• Edge Computing and 5G: Enabling real time creative adaptation.
• Attribution Engines: Mapping exposure to online or in store actions.

A 2025 campaign by Monoprix, a French retail company specialising in a mix of food, clothing, household items, and gifts, illustrates how this stack can come together. The retail brand used DOOH creatives that adapted in real time—shifting content based on nearby store inventory, time of day, and footfall predictions. Analytics then fed performance data back into their CDP to refine future campaigns, further creating a closed loop of testing, learning, and optimisation.

Strategic Takeaways for Retail Planners and Marketers

As retail professionals—whether in store designers, marketing planners, or 3D OOH advertising services providers— it is important to understand that the value of DOOH lies in how it blends together location, context, and behaviour. Here are key ways to approach DOOH integration with an omnichannel mindset:

• Map customer moments: Understand where in the journey consumers will see your screens and what you want them to do next—visit, scan, remember, or share.
• Design with cohesion: Ensure creative consistency between DOOH, in store messaging, and online campaigns. Visual and thematic alignment improves recall and performance.
• Measure and adapt: Leverage analytics from footfall, QR scans, and retargeting platforms to continually refine campaigns.

Think of DOOH not just as outdoor billboard advertising, but as a real time interface in the physical world that is connected to your entire digital strategy.